Poverty in Indonesia is a classic problem that is very difficult for any leadership to solve. Data from the Indonesian Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded that up to March 2021, 10.09 percent or 27.54 million Indonesians were categorized as poor. This was highlighted by Kang Nyoto as a Practitioner Lecturer of Government Science at UMM in a Joint Lecture in GKB 4 Hall 9th Floor UMM Malang, Monday (27/11). “Poverty in Indonesia is very worrying because it has been going on for a long time in a country rich in natural resources. This is ironic because the ideals of independence to realize the common welfare for all Indonesian people has not been achieved until now, "said Kang Nyoto.
Kang Nyoto in the presentation session. (photo: special)
Furthermore, Kang Nyoto, the former Regent of Bojonegoro for the 2008-2018 period, explained several weaknesses in poverty alleviation, such as a limited budget, minimal innovation, and very weak coordination of relevant stakeholders poverty reduction programs are often not integrated. Furthermore, poverty is also exacerbated by the lack of employment opportunities so that unemployment cannot be absorbed. As of August 2021, according to BPS data, 9.1 million Indonesians are unemployed.
One way to solve poverty is to improve the quality of Human Resources (HR). This should be the most urgent thing to do because to improve the economic capacity and quality of people's living standards, and adequate competence is needed. Unfortunately, the 2018 World Bank report data shows that Indonesia's Human Capital Index (HCI) score is ranked 87 out of 157 countries. Far below Singapore (rank 1), Vietnam (rank 48), and Malaysia (rank 55). "It is impossible to solve poverty with low-quality human resources; as a result, poverty reduction programs will not be effective," said Kang Nyoto.
That's why education is a crucial aspect. The best education quality is needed to create quality and competitive human resources. With economic superior human resources will move, innovations that do jobs and increase business results will come, people are also easily absorbed in the world of work because they have skills and competencies. For this reason, the role of the government is very crucial. "The government must be able to ensure that all Indonesian residents/people have access to decent, affordable, and quality education. Therefore, the education gap must be resolved. Furthermore, the government should prioritize poverty enclaves with low quality and access to education, especially in villages and outside Java. All of that can be done as long as there is a serious commitment from the government,” concluded Kang Nyoto.
